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| | ==English== | | ==English== |
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| | + | ===Etymology=== |
| | + | From Shakespeare, ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', Act I, Scene iii. |
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| | ===Noun=== | | ===Noun=== |
| | {{en-noun|sg=[[primrose]] [[path]]}} | | {{en-noun|sg=[[primrose]] [[path]]}} |
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| - | # An [[easy]] and [[pleasant]] [[life]]. | + | # An [[easy]] and [[pleasant]] [[life]]; a [[hedonistic]] life. |
| | #* '''c.1599-1601''', [[w:William Shakespeare|William Shakespeare]], ''[[s:The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark/Act 1|The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark]]'', Act 1, Scene 3, | | #* '''c.1599-1601''', [[w:William Shakespeare|William Shakespeare]], ''[[s:The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark/Act 1|The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark]]'', Act 1, Scene 3, |
| | #*: But, good my brother, / Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, / Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven; / Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine, / Himself the '''primrose path''' of dalliance treads, / And recks not his own rede. | | #*: But, good my brother, / Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, / Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven; / Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine, / Himself the '''primrose path''' of dalliance treads, / And recks not his own rede. |
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| | #* '''1911''', [[w:Frederic Taber Cooper|Frederic Taber Cooper]], ''Preface'' to ''[[s:The Craftsmanship of Writing|The Craftsmanship of Writing]]'', | | #* '''1911''', [[w:Frederic Taber Cooper|Frederic Taber Cooper]], ''Preface'' to ''[[s:The Craftsmanship of Writing|The Craftsmanship of Writing]]'', |
| | #*: The laurels of authorship are worth the winning largely because there is no '''primrose path''' leading to them. | | #*: The laurels of authorship are worth the winning largely because there is no '''primrose path''' leading to them. |
| - | # A [[deceptively]] [[easy]] course of action that can end in [[tragedy]] or [[disaster]]; an easy way of life that leads to [[damnation]]. | + | # A [[deceptively]] [[easy]] or [[appealing]] course of action that leads one [[astray]] or into [[error]]; an easy way of life that leads to [[damnation]]. |
| | #* '''1902''', [[w:George Edward Woodberry|George Edward Woodberry]], ''[[s:Nathaniel Hawthorne/Chapter 2|Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'', Chapter 2: The Chamber under the Eaves, | | #* '''1902''', [[w:George Edward Woodberry|George Edward Woodberry]], ''[[s:Nathaniel Hawthorne/Chapter 2|Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'', Chapter 2: The Chamber under the Eaves, |
| | #*: Cilley, his old college mate, was just elected to Congress from Maine, Pierce was just elected Senator from New Hampshire, and Longfellow had found the ways of literature as smooth as the '''primrose path''' to the everlasting bonfire. | | #*: Cilley, his old college mate, was just elected to Congress from Maine, Pierce was just elected Senator from New Hampshire, and Longfellow had found the ways of literature as smooth as the '''primrose path''' to the everlasting bonfire. |
| | + | #* '''1986''', Stuart Shanker, ''Philosophy in Britain Today'', [http://books.google.com/books?id=xtecjGSOQ0AC&pg=PA118&dq=%22primrose+path|paths%22&hl=en&ei=6vgJTt3KFaz4mAWTrPTEAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQ6AEwATgy#v=onepage&q=%22primrose%20path|paths%22&f=false page 118], |
| | + | #*: The route from the desire for rationality via the desire for objectivity to descriptivism is a well trodden one; but it is nevertheless a '''primrose path'''; for, as we shall see, it leads those who follow it into one or another form of relativism, which is precisely what these thinkers are trying to avoid. They can only avoid it by retracing their steps. |
| | + | #*: This '''primrose path''' starts from the assumption that the only way to achieve rationality is to secure objectivity. |
| | #* '''2003''', Loretta A. Malandro, ''Say It Right the First Time'', [http://books.google.com/books?id=1QnPpHWgv64C&pg=PA113&dq=%22primrose+path|paths%22&hl=en&ei=7scJToT6FcWdmQXj4MSbAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEoQ6AEwCDge#v=onepage&q=%22primrose%20path|paths%22&f=false page 113], | | #* '''2003''', Loretta A. Malandro, ''Say It Right the First Time'', [http://books.google.com/books?id=1QnPpHWgv64C&pg=PA113&dq=%22primrose+path|paths%22&hl=en&ei=7scJToT6FcWdmQXj4MSbAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEoQ6AEwCDge#v=onepage&q=%22primrose%20path|paths%22&f=false page 113], |
| | #*: The meanings of words are obscure enough, without adding language that results in reactions and misunderstandings. By using jargon, clichés, exaggeration, and unnecessary words, we will be led down the '''primrose path''' of misdirection. | | #*: The meanings of words are obscure enough, without adding language that results in reactions and misunderstandings. By using jargon, clichés, exaggeration, and unnecessary words, we will be led down the '''primrose path''' of misdirection. |
